The present invention is directed to a device for promoting sealing of blood vessels, particularly for use in angioplasty.
Angioplasty is an increasingly common surgical procedure, particularly for treatment of circulatory and cardiovascular disorders. Angioplasty involves the insertion of arterial catheters (which range between 5 F and 9 F). This requires the advancement of appropriate catheters over guidewires (which are in the range of 0.035 inches or 0.089 cm in diameter). At the present time, following removal of the catheter, bleeding at the arterial insertion site is stopped by application of a 5 pound pressure bag, use of manual compression, or application of a clamp to the limb of the patient for a period of time. All of these procedures are inefficient and painful. Furthermore, these procedures risk the occurrence of hematoma in the patient.
Among the devices that have been used for sealing arterial punctures such as those made during angioplasty are those described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,830,130, to Janzen et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,527,292 to Adams et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,843,051 to Adams et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,959 to Hannam et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,715 to Katsaros et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,822, to Weldon et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,221,259 to Weldon et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,292,332 to Lee, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,443,481 to Lee, the disclosures of which are herein incorporated in their entirety by this reference.
Although these patents disclose a variety of approaches for sealing puncture wounds in arteries such as those generated by angioplasty, there is still a need for an improved approach to seal such puncture wounds. There is a need for a device that is painless and is more effective than existing devices and procedures for sealing such wounds. There is further a need for improved procedures and devices that reduce the risk of hematoma formation in such devices and procedures.